This article was last updated on May 25, 2022
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The meeting organized by the Generation Agency for Development and Transformation (GADET) – Pentagon was themed: “Developing sustainable lobby capacity and building community awareness on the Petroleum Act 2012.”
It was funded by the Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid (CORDAID).
GADET Pentagon was formed to promote literacy, awareness of justice, capacity building and a transformation process that leads to informed, developed and a conscious society, according to the program manager, Oci Geoffrey.
Oci urged all the civil society groups to keep informing the public on how the petroleum act is useful and how the communities should be involved in any steps oil companies take during operations.
“We are working in the field of peace building and conflict transformation, human rights, good governance and democracy, Women and Youth revitalization and the Rule of Law…the petroleum act 2012 which was signed by the President of the Republic of South Sudan have given you the guidelines to follow,” he said.
“If Unity State produce only crude oil, people must also be prepared to look for other means of survival incase oil would not last forever, let us, the civil society groups inform the public on how we can live best in this country by knowing our right, what we own and what we can do,” he added.
During the workshop, Kawai Manyjang Gorong, the Unity State Legislative Assembly Chairperson of Gender, child and Social Welfare said the State Parliament will involve the community members in any steps done by the oil companies operating in Unity State.
“The oil companies operating in the State before its shutdown were violating the right of the local community by not consulting them in any steps take in term of oil exploration,” Gorong said.
The workshop also looked at the merits of the oil in the states and observed that the oil companies were not doing enough to create job opportunities, compensation to the displaced communities and have failed to fulfill the needs of people in development.
Unity State Governor, Lt. Gen. Taban Deng Gai recently reshuffled his government in a move dictated by austerity measures being experienced in the country and was also aimed at curbing redundancy, unjustified absence from the place of work and unsatisfactory performance.
South Sudan was expected to launch resumption of oil production in November 2012. However, the launching failed as Sudanese government unveiled new demand to be executed by the South Sudanese government before the resumption of the oil starts.
North and south already agreed in September to resume oil exports and secure the volatile border but they failed to follow through as mistrust lingered, a legacy of one of Africa’s longest civil wars.
Sudan charges the south millions of dollars a month to pipe the crude through its territory and export it via a terminal on the Red Sea.
Under the September deals, they agreed to pull back their armies from the border stretching for almost 2,000 km (1,200 miles), much of which is disputed.
The economies of the two countries have solely depended on oil however, with South Sudan greatly relying on oil before it shutdown in January 2012.
South Sudan shutdown her oil production after reaching disagreement with Sudan on transit fees and after Sudan decided to loot the country’s main resource.
Government in a bid to economize its non oil revenues after the oil shutdown introduced austerity measures which included cut down of necessary expenditure on fuel, travels and other allowances such as housing.
The workshop was attended by the members of the State Legislative Assembly, Members of Unity oil Taskforce among other civil society group representatives.
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